National Fitness Day 2016

UK Active are to be applauded for the initiative to raise awareness into physical activity by creating National Fitness Day.

It would seem the best intentions to do good and be at the forefront of raising awareness comes up at hefty price to make it happen and so with a joint approach, UK Active managed to secure the mighty Argos to help sponsor and raise the awareness campaign.

Getting the gym I train on board with NFD?

For me, there had been a drive in the gym I train at TruGym in Chatham. It started with a e-mail to a regional area manager to see if we could create a challenge in the gym that all members could train towards. The e-mail was sent and nothing was heard back. You see the set up and in a gym is that if the management are not in support, then those who are at the forefront in the Reception, PT Staff or members have no real power to initiate anything that is member based, I constantly asked if we were doing anything for NFD at Reception and was constantly told, good idea , but no. If it does not have the support of senior management it will not go ahead. It seems the idea of training for an event, with 8 weeks to prepare with the whole gym trying to get behind NFD it its just too much of an ask.

The Argos connection

Getting back to Argos. It so happens that I know the local manager of my branch and when the e-mail started to arrive about NFD I was prepared to help out. Argos were to support it and in this case, they had two balloon window graphics to do just that, it was up to the staff to think of something to engage the members of the public. And this is when the problems started

• How to provide equipment for the public to use?
• How to man it and provide adequate cover?
• What public liability issues were there?
• Who was to oversee it, plan it ?
• How to collect equipment?
• How to promote staff engagement?
• What effect will it have on staff duties?

These were just some of the issues there were and to be honest, this is not the area that a store that sells goods with sales assistants and targets needs, it was another problem to solve on already a hundred other problems that needing solving with the daily running of a local busy store.. They are not fitness professionals and as such this was a bit of a headache. In hindsight and with more time and planning possibly something could be done, but at this level National Fitness Day was a day they simply did not need.

Getting Pure Gym on board (the gym next door)

It turned out that by partnering up with Pure Gym on the day was something that benefited both parties. But then it was up to me to organise that. The staff were too busy, so by making a number of trips to Pure Gym Chatham, we managed to secure the loan of a spin Bike to create a challenge for members of the public to try.

What was the challenge?

The challenge was a simple one, it would take no more then 5 minutes to 7 minutes and consisted of either a

• 2 km Bike for time
• Or ...
• 2 km Bike
• 50 Mountain Climbers
• 15 Air Squats
• 10 Press Ups

We found an area that was suitable in the shop window and then stayed the day.

Blistering Hot Summers Day

What I found on this gorgeous summers day as people entered the Argos store was a mixture of a few glances in my direction, a mild curiosity or the avoid at all chances type. Its not to say NFD is a bad idea, but it is to say Argos in this case were not really in a position to create the connect between non active and sparking the desire to be active, which I really do think is the main issue.

UK Active and the connect with gym challenges and data collection.

I have been doing something for National Fitness Day for a number of years and I have never seen the point to connect with those that really don't want to be active. I remember asking a member of the UK Active team to try the WGC Gym Challenge that I had created for the day. Somebody who frequented the gym 3 or so times a week and somebody who I was sure would have a good chance to at least try and see what he could do. Instead of the go getting sounds interesting attitude mixed with a hint of curiosity about their own fitness level, I was met with with almost a vanguard defensive, at one point the conversation was almost hostile and that I was being intrusive into their own personal lifestyle , which ironically is the same reaction that when taking to the streets and trying to engagement from members of the public and asking them about their own lifestyle and physical activity is much the same reaction. So if members of the UK Active team are not prepared to try something as casual and light hearted challenge at their own gym which they go to 3 times a week it really does warrant the question why should members of the public engage in National Fitness Day?

Social media while at Argos.

During the day I made three live facebook video broadcasts. At the start, midway and at the end. and to sum up the day at Argos it would be fair to say that the window display was as much as the day could provide. It actually turns out that the next day I found out that there was a percentage discount on various sporting items. But on the day I knew nothing of this.

Personal Trainers and National Fitness Day

I am a group admin to a Facebook Group of over 6000 Globally vetted personal trainers and fitness professionals. I constantly remarked about National Fitness Day and tried to engage participation or promotion of some case. During the weeks that I did this there was a few casual remarks but ultimately not one PT gave a positive response to NFD.

Summary

National Fitness Day should always go ahead. It is a very good initiative and doing something is better than doing nothing. But members of the public are suspicious by nature. They feel that (or the impression I get) is its not National Fitness Day, but more of a sales pitch to engage financially the parting of cash to get their physical activity started and that's where the problem lies.

There is a disconnect rather then a connect going on with the public. As I said in my video Blogs, there are seven or eight local gyms that could be working together to promote fitness, but they won't for fear of losing members to rival gyms. And if there is no unity from within the Industry and mistrust , then there is no value to National Fitness Day. It's a shame because as a member of a gym I wanted heavily to create a buzz for NFD and fitness, something which I am passionate about and I take away one story from my time at Argos, by speaking to members of the public.

" I was 47 when I had my first heart attack , five years after that I had a stroke, I'm now 57 and I take each day as a blessing " ....Former Steel Worker no Physical Activity during his life apart from manual labour)

So the need to create awareness is there, but helping solve the problem of Inactivity can only come from within.